The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reiterated its unwavering commitment to securing Nigeria’s borders against illicit trade and smuggling operations. Speaking during the official handover of 25 containers filled with unregistered and prohibited pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at Apapa Port, Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, emphasized the Service’s dedication to protecting public health and national security.
He noted that through intelligence-led enforcement and real-time collaboration with regulatory agencies, the service has transformed its operational effectiveness.
The handover follows the strategic Memorandum of Understanding signed between NCS and NAFDAC in November 2024, under which coordinated enforcement efforts have significantly improved interdiction of contraband.
According to the CGC, the MOU framework enables Customs and NAFDAC to conduct coordinated operations and joint investigations, systematically tracing illicit pharmaceutical sources and deploying targeted enforcement strategies against criminal networks. “Inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing have been central to our enforcement philosophy, and under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, this enhanced cooperation has delivered measurable results in protecting public health and combating illicit trade.”
The CGC formally handed over to “NAFDAC a total of 25 containers laden with counterfeit medications, unregistered pharmaceutical products, and prohibited substances including codeine-based preparations that pose imminent danger to public health. These seizures, with an aggregate Duty Paid Value of Nine Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Five Million, Four Hundred and Two Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy-Three Naira (N9,235,402,973.00), represent a sophisticated network of criminal enterprises that deliberately exploit regulatory gaps to compromise our national health security.”
He observed that a detailed breakdown of the seizures revealed disturbing patterns of the wrong declaration and systematic attempts to circumvent established import protocols. “The 25 containers comprise 21 forty-foot containers and 4 twenty-foot containers containing predominantly unregistered pharmaceutical products including sexual enhancement drugs such as REDSUN and HYEGRA sildenafil citrate products, codeine-containing cough syrups including CSC brands, antibiotic injections like oxytetracycline and artesunate, pain relief medications containing diclofenac sodium and paracetamol, skin lightening creams marketed as GBOGBONISE and SKIN CHEMIST, hip and breast enlargement products, and various tablets bearing fake NAFDAC registration numbers. He hinted that the seizures also include expired food products such as margarine and chocolate, veterinary medications including albendazole bolus tablets, antimalarial drugs like artepharm-artequick, and consumer goods such as crusader soap, reflecting a sophisticated and diversified contraband portfolio that poses significant threats to public health, consumer safety, and regulatory integrity.”
He described the operational synergy NCS developed with NAFDAC as reflecting strategic collaboration at its finest, with the NAFDAC Director-General providing critical intelligence even at midnight about suspicious importations that proves decisive to anti-smuggling operations. CGC Adeniyi stressed that this MOU-facilitated coordination enables swift responses to emerging threats, as he commended the Director-General and her dedicated team whose technical expertise, combined with NCS enforcement capabilities, has created a formidable barrier against criminal networks seeking to compromise Nigeria’s borders.
The Customs boss said that the service, in partnership with NAFDAC and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, remains uncompromisingly committed to the battle against merchants of death who pursue illicit profits from businesses that destroy lives and communities. “Under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser, our joint operations have resulted in the seizure of over 200 containers followed by coordinated destruction exercises, with unregistered pharmaceutical products comprising 63.7% of seizure values, highlighting the scale of threats that could have inflicted devastating damage on human lives and our social ecosystem if permitted to infiltrate our markets,” he said.
Reading the Riot Act to all stakeholders within the international trade environment, the CGC warned that NCS in strategic partnership with sister government agencies, will maintain an uncompromising stance on regulatory compliance.
In his words: “We shall deploy our full statutory powers of seizure, arrest, investigation, and prosecution of suspects without hesitation.
“Where it is discovered that haulage operators, bonded terminal owners, or any other trade facilitators are complicit in these illegal activities, such persons or companies will face the full weight of the law. Our intelligence network and technological capabilities have been significantly enhanced to detect and subterfuge. intercept prohibited items regardless of concealment methods or documentation.”
CGC Adeniyi extended special commendation to NCS operatives at the Apapa Port Command who, through their vigilance, professionalism, and dedication to duty, successfully executed these complex interdictions, reflecting the core values of the Service and collective commitment to protecting Nigeria’s borders and citizens. “This handover ceremony symbolizes our shared commitment to protecting the health and security of our nation, and through continued inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and strategic enforcement, we shall ensure that Nigeria’s borders remain secure against those who would compromise our national health security for criminal gain,” he noted.